As most of you know, so far this season I’ve been enjoying a very long and relaxed offseason. Last season I got a bit burnt out and after my last race I evaluated how I was feeling about triathlon. The verdict? Time to get less serious and have more fun! Which is exactly why I am SO FRIGGIN STOKED about my first race of the season, Rev3 Knoxville.
I know what you’re thinking: “Knoxville? Frayed, isn’t that like ten thousand miles from Rhode Island?” Yes, it’s a bit far (13 hour drive), but I drove much farther than that for IMFL last year and I don’t mind traveling a long way for fun races. I’m going to carpool down to Knoxville with some other athletes so that will help with costs and monotony.
This is going to be my inaugural event with the Rev3 series, and I am so excited to witness firsthand the fun and excitement that everyone else has been talking about. I’m hoping MamaFL can come up and join me because this race is designed just as much for the family as it is for the athletes themselves. The race itself is on Sunday, but the Friday night before they have a one mile glowstick fun run for people of all ages, followed by a FREE outdoor movie with FREE popcorn.
What I’m most excited about is the logistics for the race. I’m staying at a hotel that is literally footsteps away from the swim start. The swim is a wave start (which appeals to those nervous about mass starts) in the river (no waves! no jellyfish! no sharks!) that should be wetsuit legal. The bike course goes through rural Knoxville and has “challenging ascents, rapid descents, and picturesque scenery”. The run takes you through the Knoxville Greenway Trail System and you finish right at the world’s fair park in downtown Knoxville. The transitions and finish line are all centrally located: you can’t beat that!
And as far as training for the race, I’ll be going into this race with about a month of actual training, so it’s simply going to be a fun warm-up race for me. Knoxville is also the venue for the Rev3 age group championships next year, so I’m doing a bit of course scoping *just in case*. I’m doing the 70.3, but they also have an Olympic distance, which according to last year’s winner Kelly Williamson, is pretty fun! (Read her race report here).
Speaking of pros, the Olympic was chock-full of em last year. And with a hefty prize purse ($50k) and this being the first race of the 2013 pro series, you can expect a lot more pros this year. Go here to watch a recap of the pro race from last year:
Have you signed up for this race yet? If not, you still can! Registration is open unti mid-april. Hope to see you there! Register!
Carolina John
Very cool! Watch out for the hills on that bike course, they will totally sap your energy for the run. It’s supposed to be an incredibly fun venue but don’t go in expecting to PR. Looks great!
frayedlaces
Thanks for the tip! It will be the first race of the year with very little training, so I won’t expect to do well at all. Most important thing is to have fun!
Chloe
Can’t wait to see you there!
frayedlaces
I’m excited you’ll be there!
Brian J
I did the Half last year and it was a lot of fun. I’d love to do it again but sadly I can’t make it down there that weekend. I wasn’t sure what all the fuss over this hills was about. They weren’t that bad except for the last two, they were short but very steep and tortured me since they were in the last few miles.
frayedlaces
Nice to know about the hills! I’m a pretty strong cyclist, so I think can manage them. But I’ll make sure to save energy for them!
Kelly
Awesome! I went to law school there (and where I started running again). Plan for some hills, you’re right at the foothills of the Smokey Mountains. Also, it’s beautiful there, you’ll love it!! A fun, cheap town to party afterwards too!